Regardless of whether you know them as the fungus that grows underground at the base of a tree in the forest or the delectable confectionery, the word itself defines an object that virtually everyone associates with luxury and decadence. While the sweet as well as the savoury uses for this word do have some things in common, such as a higher price, time consuming production/extraction, and both truffles and chocolate being considered an aphrodisiac, the similarities end there. Before going on though, let’s get one fact out of the way: the chocolate confection, much like creating marzipan fruit to resemble real fruit, was named after the fungus.
The word truffle first appears in English in the late 16th century. Like many culinary words, it comes to us via the Middle French trufle, which many believe to be an extension of the Latin tuber/tufer-, meaning “lump” or “swelling.” Conversely, there’s also another probable theory which states that the word has an association in the Italian tartuffo (Milanese tartuffel), meaning “potato,” due to the visual likeness. Beyond the use of words though, truffles have long been enjoyed: the neo-Sumerians mentioned the Amorites eating them in the 20th century BC.
Truffle – a rare delicacy
Still, the one aspect that resonates with with many people is the price. So, why are both kinds of truffles so expensive? For the fungus, the expense derives from the difficulty of actually locating them- only certain animals, like pigs, dogs, and goats, can be trained to recognise the specific scent associated with truffles and, until the 1800’s, truffles were not effectively, domestically cultivated. Moreover, the fact that they were a rare delicacy meant that they were often reserved for the wealthy and noble, notably, Francis I of France, thus increasing their status. As for the confectionery truffle, the expense comes from the difficulty of creating them: until recently, chocolate truffles could not be machine-worked due to the heat and risk of melting, meaning that all were hand-made, thus more time-consuming.
The first known use of the word truffle in English appears in 1591, in Christopher Cattan’s The Geomancie, where he writes that, “The Topas and the Truffle have power of Chastity, and to subdue the flesh,” which is slightly ironic considering the truffle’s amorous reputation. A century later, in 1692, John Ray gives some welcomed insight into truffle hunting in The Wisdon of God, writing, “By tying a Cord to the hind leg of a Pig, and driving him before them..observing where he stops and begins to root,..they are sure to find a Truffle.” Finally, beyond the fungus, writer and painter Denton Welch clearly explains the allure of the chocolate truffle in his coming-of-age work, 1944’s In Youth is Pleasure, expounding, “He imagined the aromatic acrid dust..sticking to [the heart] and coating it..as bright-coloured bitter cocoa powder clings to the rich dark truffle.”
